His father shot to his feet. “No. I will not be the man who dismantles our legacy. The plantation is our only course.”
Evander stared into the amber liquid in his glass. “And you’d risk your life for it?”
“Yes.”
“My life?”
Silence. His father’s gaze fell to the hearth. “It won’t come to that.”
“It already has.”
“I will not yield to threats,” his father said firmly. “If we cave, we will be weak. And I am notweak.”
“It’s not about weakness,” Evander argued. “It’s about survival.”
“If we lose that plantation,” his father said, voice rising, “we lose everything.”
“Then what areour options?”
His father squared his shoulders. “We fight.”
A new voice echoed from the doorway.
“I disagree.”
Evander turned to see Olivia entering the room, calm and composed. “You do?” he asked.
She stepped fully inside. “I believe that you should sell the plantation—not because of the threats, but because it’s the rightthing to do.”
The earl scoffed. “And what would you know about what’s right?”
Unbothered, Olivia came to stand beside Evander. “I know that I don’t want to watch my husband die defending a future built on a foundation of cruelty and injustice. Indigo plantations are known for their abuse of laborers. We are better than that.”
Evander arched a brow. “How long were you eavesdropping?”
She met his gaze squarely. “Long enough to hear the truth.”
“Then you understand why we must keep the plantation,” the earl grumbled.
“Why not consider Evander’s suggestion?” Olivia asked. “We could sell off some lands and?—”
“Absolutely not!” the earl roared, cutting her off with a sweep of his hand. “And you have no right to comment on matters that do not concern you.”
Evander saw Olivia’s body go still before her chin lifted a fraction, her spine lengthening in that graceful, imperious way she had when offended.
“And why wouldn’t this concern me?” she asked tightly. “Is this not my future we are discussing as well?”
Evander barely had time to brace before his father fired back.
“Women do not have the mindset for business. It is not in their nature.”
“That,” she said, her voice sharp with disbelief, “is the most barbaric thing I have ever heard.”
Evander knew it was time for him to interject. “I value Olivia’s opinion in all things.”
His father did not look impressed. “But she is merely a woman.”
Evander reached out and placed a steadying hand on Olivia’s sleeve. “She is not merelyanything. She is brilliant and more than capable of helping us sort through this mess. I would be a fool not to listen to her.”
